New Englands Duty, Title page – Dedication
New-Englands Duty and Intereſt, To be an Habitation of JUSTICE, AND Mountain of HOLINESS.
Containing Doctrine, Caution & Comfort WITH Something relating to the RESTAURATIONS, REFORMATIONS and BENEDICTIONS Promiſed to the Church and World in the latter dayes; With grounds of Hope, that America in General, & New-England in Particular, may have a Part therein.
Preached to the General Aſſembly of the Province of the Maſſachuſetts-Bay, at the Anniverſary ELECTION.
May, 25. 1698.
By NICHOLAS NOYES, Teacher of the Church at Salem.
Publiſhed by Order of Authority.
BOSTON in New-England.
Printed by Bartholomew Green, and John Allen. Printers to the Governour & Council. 1698.
Iſa. 1. v. 26. — Afterward thou ſhalt be called the City of Righteouſneſs, the faithful City.
Luke 1. v. 75 In Holineſs and Righteouſneſs before Him all the dayes of our Life.
2 Pet. 1.20. Knowing this firſt, that no Propheſy of the Scripture is of any Private Interpretation.
Pſalm 86.9. All Nations whom Thou hast made ſhall come and worſhip before Thee, O Lord.
Si eſt Gens quam non fecit Deus, Non adorabit eum, nulla eſt autem Gens, quam non fecit Deus, quia fontem omnium Gentium Adam & Evam fecit Deus, Omnes ergo Gentes fecit Deus; Omnes ergo Gentes venient & adorabunt. Auguſtin. in locum.
Pſalm 100. v. 1. Make a Joyful noiſe unto the Lord all ye Lands.
Jam jubilat Domino univerſa Terra; et Quod adhuc non jubilat, Jubilabit. Auguſtin. in locum.
The Epiſtle Dedicatory. To His EXCELLENCY RICHARD Earl of Bellomont, AND Lord COOTE Colooney, in the Kingdom of Ireland. GOVERNOUR Of New-England, New-York, New Hampſhire; and Vice-Admiral of thoſe Seas.
May it Pleaſe Your Excellency!
IT is recorded in the Holy Scriptures, that the Goſpel of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, though it was of great importance and concernment to all People; yet it pleaſed God that it ſhould by one of the Evangeliſts be directed in a ſpecial manner to a ſingle Perſon, called the moſt Excellent Theophilus, as in Luke 1.6. I write unto thee moſt excellent Theophilus, that thou mayest know the certainty of thoſe things wherein thou haſt been instructed. Theophilus ſignifies, A lover of God. It is conceived by learned and pious Interpreters to be the proper Name of an Eminent Perſon, who had been Converted to the Chriſtian Faith at Antioch, where the followers of Chriſt were firſt called Chriſtians; and the title [Most Excellent] given to him renders it very probable, that he was in a chief place of Magiſtracy in that eminent City, if not Governour of the whole Province; for we read not of that ſtyle [Moſt Excellent] given to any but ſuch as were Governours of Provinces, ſuch as Faelix & Feſtus, who were ſucceſſively Governours of Judea, as in Act. 23.25. Claudius Lyſias, to the moſt Excellent Governour Faelix &c. So, why might not this Theophilus be Governour of Syria? by the ſpecial Providence of God raiſed up to ſuch a Dignity, that by the influence of his Example and Authority he might be a means under God for the Propagation and Progreſſion of Chriſtianity unto many others.
In like manner this Enſuing Sermon containing one great end of the Goſpel of Chriſt, viz. That all Chriſtians ſhould Serve the Lord in Holineſs and Righteouſneſs before Him all the dayes of our lives, Luke 1.75. It is now preſented to Your, Self as to our moſt Excellent Theophilus in concurrence with all New England, bowing down themſelves before You as to our Governour ſent from God and the King. We give thanks to God for Your ſafe Arrival; Per varios Caſus, Per tot diſcrimina rerum.
Now as God hath been with thoſe Worthy men, whom He hath graciouſly vouchſafed to beſtow on this People, to bear Rule over them; particularly, the Honorable William Stoughton Eſq. Lieutenant Governour, and our Worthy Patriots aſſiſting in Council; whoſe Integrity we can't but remember at all times with Gratitude: So we pray for Gods gracious Preſence with Your Excellency, and His more abundant Bleſſing upon Your Perſon & Government, that the end thereof may be attained; that this People may live a quiet and peaceable life in all Godlineſs & Honeſty. The good report of Your Perſonal qualifications, Your Publick appearing for Securing of the Liberties of our dear England, and Your good beginnings of Reformation at New-York (where You firſt landed) have filled our hopes and raiſed our Expectations, that You are ſent from God, and are coming amongſt us in the Spirit and Power of that Excellent Governour Nehemiah, of whom it was ſaid, He was a man that came to ſeek the Welfare of the Children of Iſrael, Neh. 2 10. W…ch was a grief to their Enemies, but matter of great rejoycing to that good People in their afflicted and low condition.
This People of New England are a People whom God hath Signally owned & bleſſed in our firſt & former times; our Fathers coming into theſe ends of the Earth not upon any Worldly deſign, but meerly on the account of Religion; they had much of the gracious Preſence of God with them in their Planting and Building Work, and in laying the Foundations in Church & Common wealth, and in the additional bleſſings of Heaven & Earth, and Sea & Land; So that from a day of ſmall things, New England in a few years was grown up to be a thriving and flouriſhing Plantation: But alas, we their Succeſſors have not anſwered the Lords Expectation, or our own Profeſſion, but as we have been multiplyed & encreaſed, ſo we have Sinned, and provoked the Lord to anger againſt us, ſo that of late years He hath Severely witneſſed againſt us by the variety of His Judgments in a Succeſſive way, and for a long time; So that we are at preſent an Afflicted & poor People, greatly diminiſhed, impoveriſhed and brought very low, through Oppreſſion, Affliction and Sorrow: as it is in Pſal. 107. from v. 33 to 42. And as yet it was ſaid of the People of Iſrael, when they were in a diſtreſſed condition, that the Lord gave them Saviours, Neh. 9.27. And with reſpect unto the latter dayes it is foretold, That Saviours ſhall come up on Mount Sion, and the Kingdom ſhall be the Lords, Obad. the laſt v. This hath been frequently done in theſe latter times in ſome degree as might be ſhewed in many inſtances; it may Suffice to mention Your Grandfather of bleſſed Memory, who was raiſed up under God with an Heroick Spirit to be the Saviour of Ireland, in the day of their diſtreſs in 1641. and we hope in God that He hath ſent Your Self amongſt us as a Saviour to New England, bringing with You an Olive Branch of PEACE, as a good Omen, that the deluge of our Calamities is abated, and our hopes encreaſed, that yet New England may live in the ſight of God; and that under the Shadow of Your Government we may yet be revived, and the work of God amongſt us be renewed by degrees unto a more flouriſhing Condition than hitherto; that it may be ſaid, the Lord bleſs thee O Habitation of Juſtice and Mountain of Holineſs; which is the Subject matter of the following Sermon.
This Elaborate and Pious Diſcourſe of my Reverend Brother & Colleague in the Work of the Miniſtry here at Salem, was Preached at Boston on the Anniverſary day of Election, according to our Cuſtom from the beginning: He was called to this Service by the Honorable the Lieutenant Governour and Council; and the Publiſhing of it was Deſired & Ordered by the General Court. There is ſomething in the Text Prophetical & ſomething Didactical. It is agreed upon by all Sober Divines and Chriſtians, that we are not to expect a full underſtanding of the Prophecies until they be fulfilled, and that there may be a gradual and partial fulfilling of ſundry Prophecies at ſeveral times; and yet ſome ſpecial Time be intended for the eminent & full accompliſhment of them: Alſo, that not the Prophecies but the Precepts of Scripture are to be the Rule of our Actions. It belongs to God to fulfill with His Hand what He hath ſpoken with His Mouth, and that in the times and by the ways & means which are known unto Him, but unknown to us; it belongs to us to obſerve His Commandments concerning our preſent duties, whatever the caſe be, leaving all future Events to God. Deut. 29 29. Yet are Propheſies a ground of our Faith, Hope and Prayer, relating to their Accompliſhment: and ſo far Propheſies are doctrinal, Dan. 9 2, 3. And it is the doctrinal part of the Scriptures that mainly concerns us to direct us in all caſes in the way of our duty to God & men, as the Reverend Author according to the Wiſdom and Grace given unto him, hath declared unto us with much Evidence from Scripture light. Hence it is without queſtion the duty of the Church and People of God to be an Habitation of Justice and Mountain of Holineſs, at all times & in all places of the World: and becauſe God hath foretold and p omiſed that it ſhall be Eminently & Conſpicuouſly ſo at ſome times and in ſome places in theſe laſt dayes that are come and coming upon the World, therefore we are to aime at it and endeavour after it, in all the wayes of our duty, that it may be ſo with us in that meaſure as the Lord ſhall pleaſe to grant the ſame unto us; for it is certain, ſo far as we attain thereunto we ſhall be a People bleſſed of the Lord: For theſe two, Holineſs towards God, and Righteouſneſs towards men, are like unto the two Pillars in the Temple of God Jachin and Boaz, which did ſignify the Strength and Eſtabliſhment of the welfare of the Church & People of God, while they continue in the Righteous and Holy wayes of the bleſſed God.
This duty of endeavouring that New-England may be an Habitation of Juſtice and Mountain of Holineſs, though it is incumbent upon all, yet it is in a ſpecial manner committed to and betruſted with Your EXCELLENCY according to that High Station which GOD and the KING have ſet You in: and then it is required of all orders and ranks of men; both Magiſtrates, Miniſters and People (every one in their own place) that they move regularly in concurrence with Your Lordſhip in all things that may conduce unto that end: Though it may be SIR, You may ſometimes meet with difficulties in Your way, and find things amiſs that cannot preſently be amended. So did Solomon, who though he was the wiſeſt of Kings with a moſt prudent Council, and a morigerous People; yet out of his Experience he informs us, that which was wanting could not be numbred, or that which was crooked could not be made ſtreight: and therefore he gives this advice to others, Conſider the work of God, for who can make that ſtreight which He hath made crooked. Eccl. 7.13. And therefore it will be no wonder if You ſhould find it ſo. Yet let me tell You from the Word of the Lord, that the ſame Encouragement which the Lord gave unto Joſhua, for the Subſtance and Scope of it, belongs unto any of His Servants whom He ſets in the place of Government over His People, viz Be thou Strong and of good Courage in obſerving all the Commandments of God, ſo ſhalt thou make thy way proſperous and thou ſhalt have good Succeſs, for I will not leave thee, nor forſake thee, ſaith the Lord. Joſh. 1 from v 5. to v. 10. compared with Heb. 13.5. And when it may be ſaid in any difficult caſe wherein there is duty to be done, Ariſe for this matter belongeth unto thee (as it was ſaid unto Ezra, Chap. 10.4.) I hope in God it will alſo be ſaid by all this People (as it was then expreſſed by ſome in the Name of the reſt) We alſo will be with thee, viz. That You will have the Hearts and Prayers and endeavours, of all the good People of the Land with You in whatſoever may have a tendency to the making of this our New England, to be an Habitation of Juſtice and Mountain of Holineſs; the Lord grant that it may be ſo.
Finally, being Old and full of dayes, having ſe…n all that the Lord hath done for New England, & all the Changes of Times that have paſſed over it from the beginning unto this day: and now waiting daily for my own great Change, I cannot but expreſs my hearts doing and pra…er to God for New-England, Return O Lord, graciouſly Return to the many thouſands of NEW-ENGLAND, and cauſe thy, Face to Shine upon it, and give unto this thy People a Heart to be continually returning to thee, and keeping thy Commandments, that thou mayeſt make them and keep them to be for ever, an Habitation of Righteouſneſs and Mountain of Holineſs, bleſſed of the Lord: And for Your Perſon. That the God and Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST would Bleſs You with all Spiritual, Temporal and Eternal Bleſſings in Chriſt Jeſus, and in relation to Your Government, that He would pour down His Spirit upon You, and make You a Miniſter of God for good unto this People, and give You to be like unto David, who led and fed the People in the integrity of his heart, and by the skilfullneſs of his hands; and like unto Solomon, of whom it is ſaid, in Pſal. 72. In his dayes the Righteous did flouriſh, the Mountains did bring Peace to the People, and the little hills by Righteouſneſs, and there was abundance of Peace. That in after times it may be ſaid, Becauſe the Lord loved this People therefore He ſet Your Lord-ſhip over them; and that You left New-England better than You found it: And ſo the Grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt be with Your Spirit for ever, AMEN.
YOUR EXCELLENCIES Moſt Humble Servant in the Work of the Goſpel of JESUS CHRIST, John Higginſon. Paſtor of the Church of Salem. Aetatis. 82. Salem, June 20. 1698.